Well, here it is. It’s one day until the 2021 NFL Draft. 2019, Miami built the trenches and the secondary; it continued again in 2020 with the trenches and getting their quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa. Now, this is the draft where the Miami Dolphins need to get their weapons to compliment Tua.

With the Dolphins continuing to manipulate the draft board with the assets they acquired from the Laremy Tunsil trade back in 2019, the Miami Dolphins are already in a winning position. Going 10-6 and ending up with the 3rd overall pick, and then getting two more 1st rounders via a trade back with San Francisco.

The pick at number 6, whoever it may be, is a bonus to what the Miami Dolphins front office has accomplished in the last 3 offseasons. Of course, they have to hit on the picks, but long-term flexibility is the name of the game. Even if one of those 3 first-rounders (one was traded to Philadelphia to go from 12 to 6) that Miami got from the Tunsil trade does not end up panning out, what Chris Grier and Brian Flores have is more ammo so that another player can become a hit.

It also prevents the Miami Dolphins from reaching for players. Reaching can sometimes be subjective because everyone has different draft grades for different players, which I understand. However, if there is a player that the Dolphins like and they can wait to get them at another spot, they can very well do that and use the pick they have at the time to not “reach.”

Also, the assets can be used if you really like somebody as well, to go trade up and get them. I can honestly see the Miami Dolphins trading up late into the first round if there is a running back they covet. One can argue, “If you like a running back so much, why didn’t you draft him at 18?” Valid point. However, the trade chips allow you to get that player and jump ahead of your rivals in the Jets and Bills and still get a pass rusher at 18, which I think is another priority position. Regardless, the Dolphins are going to select some talented football players.

Let’s go back to the bonus pick, the 6th pick. All indications say that the Miami Dolphins will go with a pass catcher, and I have no reason to believe that they will go in a different direction. My preferences go as follows:

  1. TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
  2. WR Jamar Chase, LSU
  3. WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
  4. WR Devonta Smith, Alabama

I wrote an article a few weeks ago on why if Pitts is there at number 6, he should be the guy because it will create all types of confusion for opposing defenses, especially if you can snag a Wide Receiver in round 2 or 3 that will fit in well to this Dolphins offense. The question is, what do the Atlanta Falcons do? If the San Francisco 49ers pass on Ohio State QB Justin Fields with the 3rd overall pick, I can see Atlanta pouncing on Fields as the guy to take the keys to the offense once Matt Ryan’s time is done. Justin Fields is also from Georgia, so the move makes sense.

Jamar Chase, some questions remain of how rusty he will be after taking a year off of playing football, but as Mike Oliva said on the DolphinsTalk.com Podcast, you don’t forget how to play football in a calendar year. Also, Jamar Chase is healthier than ever because he took a year off of taking hits, which could help his career in the long term. LSU historically has produced NFL talent: recently, players like Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr., former Dolphin Jarvis Landry, and Vikings WR Justin Jefferson who had an outstanding rookie season for the Vikings. So Chase, if he’s there at 6 and if Pitts is already taken, I think he’s the guy. However, watch out for the Cincinnati Bengals; nobody knows which direction they will go with the 5th pick in the draft. Logic says they should take Oregon OT Penei Sewell at 5, but part of me thinks that Joe Burrow will try to influence the front office enough to draft his former college teammate. That is speculation at this point. It’ll hurt for the Bengals to pass on an opportunity for a Chase and Burrow reunion. However, if you want your franchise quarterback to last in this league, he’s got to be protected behind a decent offensive line; nobody got hit more than Joe Burrow last year before he suffered a season-ending knee injury.

These last 2, I am 95% sure they will be on the board when the Dolphins pick comes at 6.

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Though let’s pause real quick. What if there are 4 Quarterbacks taken in a row with the first 4 picks? Do the Miami Dolphins trade back to maybe 9 with Denver? Because the Dolphins could get an idea of whether or not the guy they like will be there at 9. They would not have traded back up to 6, though, if there was not a specific player(s) that they like, it also tells me that they’ll stay at 6, but anything can happen.

Jaylen Waddle, the speedster. Worst case scenario tells me that the 49ers select Justin Fields, Atlanta takes Pitts and Cincinnati go Chase. This means you have the 2 Alabama receivers left on the board at 6. If that were to be the case, Waddle is the guy. What I like about Waddle’s game is something you can’t teach speed. Yes, Jakeem Grant on this Dolphins team has speed, but his ball skills are not quite there; Jaylen Waddle’s ball skills are there along with that speed. Imagine Waddle, Fuller V, Parker, and Gesicki all together in one offense. With Tua Tagovailoa’s arm and an offseason to full train, I don’t see a reason to doubt that he’ll be able to get the passes needed over 10+ yards, something we really did not see much of last season. Development had something to do with it and the wide receivers at his disposal as well.

Devonta Smith, who made his Heisman Trophy case based on his route running, reminds me of a lighter version of Julio Jones where he makes one move, and breaks a defender’s ankles, gets their hips out of position. Before we know it, the defender is beaten on the route. That happened a lot against SEC defenses; Alabama’s offense is very pro-style, which helps translates Devonta Smith’s game to the next level; they can have the speedster in Fuller V on one side and the route running ability of Devonta Smith on the other, creating multiple threats all around the field. I’m not concerned about his weight at all as we’ve seen players like Desean Jackson make a career in the NFL with his size and stature. If the Dolphins choose Smith over Waddle, I won’t be mad though my preference is Waddle.

In my opinion, there is not a wrong pick here; it is once again a bonus. If they walk away with either of those four players, it is a win.

With the Miami Dolphins trading guard Ereck Flowers to the Washington Football Team, there is still a slight possibility that the Dolphins can go with the Tackle out of Oregon Penei Sewell if he’s there at 6. Still, this draft is about building around your franchise quarterback; However, it is not necessarily a bad pick for Miami; there is an opportunity cost attached to it that if the first pick is not a pass catcher, a guy they like later could also be taken. The Dolphins could end up not having any of the pass catchers that they like, and is that a road that the Miami Dolphins really want to go down? That would not be the route I would like to go down if I am Chris Grier and co.